Chapter 27 Silent Contact

——＜A Quiet Dividing Line＞

The next day at the company, Su Yan felt like a trembling insect caught in a spider's web. Assistant Zhou continued to handle matters efficiently and calmly, as if Mr. Zhao's death the previous night was just ordinary business news. But Su Yan could sense that the atmosphere in the CEO's office was more solemn than usual.

The door of Huo Shen's office was closed, and from time to time his low voice of suppressed anger could be heard from inside. He must be dealing with the chain reaction caused by Mr. Zhao's accident.

Su Yan sat at his desk, his eyes seemingly fixed on the documents, but in reality, he was constantly glancing around the office area. He was searching for the girl who had delivered the cake. He remembered her face: a sweet smile, wearing the administration uniform.

The opportunity presented itself before lunch break. He saw the girl carrying several documents and heading towards the printing area. Su Yan's heart quickened slightly. He took a deep breath, picked up an empty water cup, pretended to go to the tea room, and followed her naturally.

The girl was the only one in the printing area. Su Yan walked over to the coffee machine next to her and slowly poured his cup of coffee. The girl seemed to pay no attention to him, concentrating on watching the printer pump out paper.

Su Yan lowered his voice, speaking in a tone barely audible to the two of them, his tone tentative with a hint of uncertainty, "Yesterday's cake... was very sweet."

The girl paused imperceptibly, but she didn't turn around or look at him. She just responded quickly and quietly, her tone calm and composed, "The restaurant's new recipe. As long as Mr. Su likes it, that's fine."

"It's just a little too sweet," Su Yan continued with his prepared words, with a slightly complaining tone, "Could you please not put that 'surprise' layer at the bottom next time? I can't digest it well."

This was a code he had considered over and over again.

This time, the girl finally turned her head and glanced at him quickly. Her eyes were no longer the sweet and harmless ones of yesterday, but now held a calm scrutiny and a quick judgment. The corners of her mouth curled ever so slightly, a hint of mockery, a hint of confirmation.

"Really?" She turned back, her tone still calm, "Then it might be a mistake made by the kitchen. I'll tell them, next time... pay attention to the layers." She deliberately added imperceptible emphasis to the word "layers".

The printer stopped working. The girl picked up the printed document and turned to leave. As she passed by Su Yan, her lips barely moved, but a few words as thin as a gossamer drifted accurately into Su Yan's ears:

"After get off work, underground level 2, parking lot C, white van."

After saying that, she left like a gust of wind without leaving any extra glances.

Su Yan froze in place, his palms sweaty as he gripped the water cup. It's done! She admitted it! And they even agreed on a meeting place!

Area C on the second underground floor... that's a blind spot for surveillance, and an area where employee vehicles rarely park. The white van... is so ordinary it wouldn't attract any attention.

Su Yan spent the entire afternoon in a state of unease. He felt a glimmer of hope at finally contacting the other person, yet he was also filled with dread at the prospect of an unknown encounter. Was he friend or foe? What was his motive? Would he never return?

---

When it was time to get off work, Su Yan, as usual, waited for Huo Shen to leave before he dawdled to pack up his things. He deliberately stayed at his workstation for more than ten minutes before taking the elevator directly down to the second floor underground.

The lights in the Area C parking lot were dim, and the air was filled with the smell of dust and engine oil.

Sure enough, in a remote corner, there was an inconspicuous old white van parked.

Su Yan took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to walk over. As he approached, the side sliding door of the van silently opened a crack.

The light inside was very dim, and one could only vaguely see a person sitting in the driver's seat. Su Yan hesitated for a moment, then bent down and got in.

The car door closed gently after he got in.

The lights were off inside the car, only the dashboard glowing faintly. After Su Yan adjusted to the darkness, he could clearly see the person in the driver's seat—it was the girl from the administration department. But her demeanor was completely different from that of the daytime: her eyes were sharp, her face expressionless.

"Where's the thing?" She didn't waste any words and just stretched out her hand.

Su Yan hesitated for a moment, then pulled out the small USB drive from his pocket and placed it in her hand. "What's in it? Is Mr. Zhao's death related to it?" he asked anxiously.

The girl didn't answer, but skillfully inserted the USB drive into a portable reader and quickly browsed the contents. When she heard the voice-changed audio clip of Su Chen and Assistant Zhou, her brows furrowed tightly.

"Copy?" she asked.

"The original." Su Yan replied.

The girl made a few quick adjustments, seemingly backing up the data on the USB drive to another device, then formatted it. Finally, she handed the empty USB drive back to Su Yan. "Dispose of the original and throw it away somewhere far away from here."

"What is going on? Who are you? Assistant Zhou and my brother..." Su Yan had a lot of questions.

The girl interrupted him, her tone hurried but calm. "Listen, I don't have time to explain too much. You just need to know that Huo Shen isn't the only danger, and Zhou Mingchen is more than he seems. Zhao Weiming's death wasn't an accident; it was a silencing. They suspected he had a backup, or... gave something to the wrong person."

Her eyes swept over Su Yan meaningfully.

"Then why are you helping me?"

"I'm not helping you." The girl's eyes were sharp as knives. "I'm trying to save myself and...see if I can muddy the waters. You're in a very dangerous situation right now. Whether it's Huo Shen, Zhou Mingchen, or your brother, if they find out you know something you shouldn't, you won't survive."

Her words were like ice water poured over Su Yan's head.

"Then what should I do?"

"Shut up. If necessary..." The girl paused and lowered her voice, "You can use Huo Shen's 'interest' in you to protect yourself. He seems to treat you a little differently."

After she finished speaking, she didn't wait for Su Yan's reaction and directly pressed the car door switch: "Get out of the car and leave immediately. Forget you met me tonight."

Su Yan was half-pushed and half-invited to get out of the car. The van started up quickly without stopping and disappeared into the darkness of the parking lot.

Su Yan stood there, clutching the empty USB drive, his body cold. The girl's words confirmed his worst suspicions: not only was he involved in a case of industrial espionage, but he might also be involved in a conspiracy involving human lives.

And now, he was alone and helpless, holding an empty USB drive and a bunch of deadly secrets in his hand, standing in the dark parking lot, as if he could feel countless pairs of eyes peeping at him in the dark.

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